Watching the TDF i noticed how Contador/Schlecks etc made it look so easy to ride up hill standing up. When i try it my lungs are bursting after about 10 metres, but i can ride up fairly easy sitting down. Am i doing something wrong?
djc1245 - practice.
"World's top pros fitter than STW member shocker!"
Ride a singlespeed, then you don't really have a choice. It's good for you 🙂
Single speeding taught me to ride stood up.
I thought sitting down on climbs was the right way to go unless you really need to stand up?
http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/technique-hill-climbing-made-easy-22491
article about it. but the reason they probably look better at it is cos they do it more - just do it more and you'll get better.
a whole generation of people who've never ridden a hardtail can't climb standing up.....lol
Good article thomthumb, thanks. I guess i just need to be a bit fitter. weigh less, be younger, practice and ride a singlespeed. Looks like i will stay sitting
I actually find it harder to climb sitting down..
if you get out of the saddle in the big ring and try letting body weight with a bit of effort take you over smaller climbs it can be quicker and easier than in the saddle.
in the alps i hardly ever sit down to climb. t'is faster stood up. rids SS the majority of the time though. i find sat down just too slow (and makes me by far the slowest in a group)
in the Alps I hardly ever stand up on the climb up, the chairlift operatives can get quite upset when you stand up.
Strange.. my perception on watching the Schlecks etc on the TDF was how effortless they made sitting in the saddle climbing look. It's just not something I can do. Personally, if I want to nail a (road) climb - I have to go out of the saddle the whole way, never once stopping till my lungs explode and my back is on fire. You just kinda get into this zen-like zone of all body pain. (it feels kinda 'red'). If I just want to poottle up - then sitting it is.
...Off road however, sitting seems to work best - cos otherwise the rear wheel slides and the forks bounce up and down.
😀 @ bruneep
i nearly spat my brekkie over the keyboard whn i read that!
Stood up is less efficient, but you get more power ultimately. Useful for short efforts I'd say. My coach told me to stay seated as much as possible but I find it helps for short bursts.
There's standing and standing tho. Don't be in a standing position with your crotch near the stem like you see commuters doing - that's rubbish. Move your body up a bit and forward a bit like a sprinter on the start line. Your crotch should be not far above the saddle.
I seem to remember reading that in an MBUK about 15+ years ago...
standing up to climb should be a natural thing to do but as molgrips says it is less efficient.... I only found this out several years ago when I first put a clock on my bike. Change from seated to standing on a climb and watch your speed plummet by a couple of mph. Standing does have some advantages though as it takes some of the load off you legs and you can use body weight to push the cranks... I usually go up a gear just as I'm about to get out the saddle.
Kev
Standing in a climb also allows you to move your weight to lift the bike up and over obstacles and to clean step-ups. And keeping your weight forward in tight bends and on twisty descents increases traction for the steering tyre.
I ride with a lot of beginners who have obviously read or been told to keep their weight back all the time... It's sometimes hard to get them to want to change this habit.
When I road darkside a coupla years back I had a challenge to climb from Hathersage to Surprise view out of the saddle (about 10 minute climb). After the first kick out of the village my legs would be screaming to sit down but did it a few times. great for leg strength.
EDIT: And shoulders. Just remembered the shoulder ache...
If you're supporting all your weight with your legs, it is hard work. Which is why singlespeeders have big shoulders - we support our weight through our arms by leaning forward a bit. It makes a massive difference.
A year or so ago, I was rubbish at riding standing up. Either for short, sharp bursts or tricky climb sections etc.
I forced myself on almost every ride to stand up more & more whether it was strictly necessary or not. Me and a mate also challenge each other and ride long sections stood up, particularly uphill.
In only a few weeks I noticed a real difference in my ability to ride standing up when necessary.
In terms of climbing sitting down/standing up it normally depends on what you are riding up. I will often get out of the saddle for short, sharp blasts up slopes etc. but for most of the off-road climbing I do I try & remain seated. I find I get much better rear traction doing that. If I do need to stand up to power over an obstacle or something, then I stand, but am constantly trying to gauge how much grip my tyres have and alter my body position accordingly. Most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn't!
Wow, theres hope for this forum yet - a thread on climbing!
climbing is about rythmn.standing or seated .
Seated and spinning for non techy climbs - the most efficient. Gets techy go up a gear and stand up to be able to use your weight to lift the wheels over things.
Standing up gives more power but seated is more efficient use of the power.
climbing is about rythmn.standing or seated .
I tried to tell myself that on the Ventoux last week, but I was still pedalling squares all the way up it.
Climbing is also about sustainable power and light weight. I have neither.
Long hills sits and spin, short steep hills stand and grind. Making your mates eat dust - priceless.
Standing up is a good moob-buster
I learned to climb standing a few years back when I had a 15% gradient road climb to conquer on an 18 speed road bike. I found that alternating between standing and sitting worked really well.
But regardless of whether you're sat or stood up I've found that strong core muscles are the key to doing it smoothly and developing the power.
Being able to stand and pedal is a pretty useful skill for mountain biking I reckon though - especially on really technical and rough terrain because you can move the bike around more beneath you.
Pedalling standing to get up a hill and pedalling standing when traction is scarce are totally different. You have to do stuff off-road to make a techy climb that would never make sense on road.
One is all about smooth power delivery and one is all about weight balance to avoid slips and get your bike to fall upwards over the obstacles in the right way 🙂
If you're supporting all your weight with your legs, it is hard work. Which is why singlespeeders have big shoulders
LOL 😆
Riding with a speedhub is much the same thing on climbs.
You're much more likely to stick with the gear you're in if the climb get's harder and that sometimes means standing up, no bad thing - gives you some upper body exercise.
As many say, hubs are much more like 14 singlespeeds than a derialleur.
